


Lost Roads to Familiar Places

by smuppetshopclerk



Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Abuse, Alcoholism, Captivity, Depressing I think, F/M, Murder, No Smut, Penny saves the fucking earth ig, Plant Powers, Save the planet, Smoking, Some bits of this are probably super bad but it's fine, Violence, abuse tw, alcoholism tw, all the tw for normal UA things from the show etc, captivity tw, drug abuse tw, drug abust, idk idk, save the earth w ur plant powers baby or dont u could just sulk in your new room whatever, she SAVES the PLANET, she has PLANT POWERS powpow, smoking tw, thanks god for giving us PENNY, wow maybe I should do that at the end we'll see
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-09
Updated: 2020-03-27
Packaged: 2020-11-28 12:54:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20966894
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smuppetshopclerk/pseuds/smuppetshopclerk
Summary: Earth-37C had been extremely normal for an extremely long time. God- that was what they called her there, anyways, but she had many names- decided it was time to shake things up a bit. She sent 43 new children into the realm, to woman who had not been pregnant earlier that day, and bestowed each of the 43 children with a great power, interesting and unique to the holder.Seven of these children would be bought by one Reginald Hargeeves, famous genius recluse. One of them, a baby girl named Penny, would be kept secret by her family for 14 years.***Or, one of the 43 is discovered. She ends up being taken by Reginald to be inducted into the Umbrella Academy.





	1. INTRODUCTION

**Content warning: Hinting at abuse, hinting at alchoholism. **

There is a certain art to the world, one which some people would just never understand. A sort of flow. Ugliness and Beauty warping around each other, a thin space in between, meeting and mixing every once in a while. Light and darkness chasing each other endlessly around the planet as the sun and moon, the flickering fire of candles, heavy blankets of fog in early mornings. Good and Evil, standing tall and broad shouldered at the forefront of it all, clashing together in eternal war. They push back and forth, sometimes claiming ground and others loosing it- and all the while, there stands the unknown, sparking wonder and curiosity, filling the voids of imaginations. The unknown of millions of realms, one after the other, stretching infinitely underneath the gazes of Good and Evil and the light and darkness in all of their glory. God- or at least, the one who we call God- continuing her creating and her demolishing and her overseeing.

Creating was what she did that day, within the borders of Earth. It was not the only Earth to have existed- in face, it was one of millions; the third instance of the fifty-seventh version of Earth. She just couldn't seem to get it right, and every time that she created this world, and loved it, and had to watch it slowly decay, she grew more exhasperated and exausted and ready to give up. She needed to do something different; something to stop these people from clouding the air that she'd given them, killing the animals she'd designed for them, destroying the forests she'd grown for them. This time, Earth needed protection. Not much, just a few people. People who would grow up to be forces of good, pushing society in the right direction. She would give them power, and goodwill, and the strength to do what is right, and she would send them on their way.

She sent 43 children to mothers who had nothing, and let them have something. The problem with this method, which she realized only a few days later, was that sometimes people who have nothing will do anything to survive. 7 of the 43 were sold only a week or two after their arrival to Earth-57C, to one Reginald Hargreeves, a man who had been born with no power or goodwill whatsoever. He had strength to survive and then some, but he was not fit to be a parent, nor was he fit to raise heros, although she knew he would try his damndest. 

Another problem with her method, an entirely different one, was that sometimes people who have nothing will never be allowed to have anything. It was not her decision for these sorts of things to occur, of course. Even God had no way to change the art of the world, although she was one of the few who completely understood it.

And that was the issue with Maribelle Blackwood, who lived in a sprawling white townhouse on a hill, who didn't have to work because her husband was a doctor, who had the most beautiful garden in the whole town. The ladies in her neighborhood would gossip about her; she didn't try to befriend them, because she thought she was too good, she only had such a great husband because of her looks, she only had such a huge house because she'd married a rich man for his money. But despite their words, God knew Maribelle to be poorer than any of those woman, living in her big white house with her rich and handsome husband. Because the inside of Maribelle's house was covered in beer cans she cleaned each morning, and the inside of her husband was rotten and black with anger. Maribelle had nothing. 

A child with everything- power, and strength, and goodwill, packaged and ready for Maribelle to love and nurture, had no power to change that. The day that Penny Blackwood was born, Maribelle's husband locked her in the attic, and Maribelle wept until he grew too angry for her to weep anymore.

And then Maribelle got up, washed her face, and vaccumed the house. 

***

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello everyone! So this is the third (3rd) time I'm rewriting! This story!! This time I'm giving Penny a different power because it won't make sense w/ the storyline I'm choosing. **

**NOTE TO THE NOTE: most of these author's notes are copy pasted from the OG work on my qoutev and are pretty old! Chapters will be published there before they go up on here, so go give me a follow on qoutev to see when I update (@snakesnbooks, the tag is "Peaches and Sunshine!")**

**QOTD: what's your favorite flavor of juice to drink?**

**Thank you, as always, for reading!**

**\- Bridget**


	2. ONE

**Content warning: mentions of alchoholism, mentions of abuse, murder, graphic descriptions of deceased.**

_A girl sat in an attic, surrounded by dust and plagued by her thoughts. She gazed longingly out of her only window, a small circular pane of glass with white bars twisting over it in a netted pattern, a box of viney flowers growing undearneath and climbing up the bars. From the outside, it looked like a fancy decoration, but the occupants of the house saw it for what it really was; a barrier, obscuring the girl from sight as she peered down to the street below, squinting through the bars and hiding her from view. No one could know about the girl in the attic- she was a freak of nature, an accident, a shameful secret. _

_She sighed, rubbing her thumb over the edge of her pointer finger absentmindedly. She yearned to be outdoors, to explore, but she knew that it could never happen. She needed to stop being so ungrateful- she had everything she needed right here. A bookshelf full of romantic and fantastical worlds, all just for her to explore. She didn't need to go outside. And she had plants, growing in pots along her wall, bringing her a personal source of fresh air. She didn't need to share with the strangers outside. And she had a comfortable bed and enough food and clothing to wear that was comfortable. She didn't need to find care from another source. _

_Softly, the padlock clicked from below, and a woman's face peered into the attic through the small panel in the floor which usually sat closed, the rickety wooden ladder erect from it and folded over itself heavily, taking up the floorspace near the end of the room. The ladder was now unfolded into the room below, out of sight. In it's place was the vision of the girl's mother, gorgeous as she ever had been, in that too-skinny way that she was. A frown painted her face, and her eyes were tired. The girl remembered a time when her mother had offered up hesitant smiles and loving looks, but those times had passed. Today, on her thirteenth birthday, her mother would offer no love. _

_"Here," she says coldly, and places a gift poorly wrapped in newspaper on the floor in front of her. She climbs down a step, and then back up, and next to the gift, she places a plate of pancakes with blueberries. This had been a tradition since the girl had turned two, and her mother had still fought to spend time with her, make her happy. Her mother's voice had been light and beautiful then, like bells, but when she spoke now it was the raspy tounge of a woman shrouded in smoke which was heard by the girl. "Don't forget to exercise. Your father will kill me if we find you dead." She stated, and just like that, she was gone into the room below. Slowly, the door to the rest of the house swung upward, the ladder folding back into it's place. The noise of the lock being re-locked was barely audible below the floorboards, but it hung heavily in the air of the attic. _

_"Happy birthday, Penny," the girl whispered to herself, and pulled the gift and the food to her seat by the window. She unwrapped the newspaper, pulling out a flowerpot full of dirt, a book resting on top of it. She brushed the dirt off of the book, placing it down beside her, and then turned to the flower pot, placing her hands over the dirt. There was no plant, no seed to be sewed, but underneath the eyes of the girl in the attic, life began in that pot, roots shooting out and taking hold, a little sprout preparing to unravel from the dirt. She placed the pot next to the others, and stared at it for only a moment before turning to her food. She would let this one grow out on it's own, she thought. She needed something to watch. _

***** ONE YEAR AND TWO MONTHS LATER *****

_"Your mother's gone."_ _Silence hung in the air like humidity, only broken by the noise of harp being plucked out by a girl sitting curled up in a windowseat. She barely glanced at her father, not pausing her playing as her fingers found the strings and finished her melody. Finally, she looked up to meet his eyes. The girl had turned 14 two months ago, and the harp had been a gift from her mother._

_"Where?" she asked, folding her hands into her lap. Her father scowled at her. _

_"She left. Tha' goddamn ungrateful whore left me with you," he huffed, and it was obvious that he was drunk. She could smell the beer on his breath, but it didn't surprise her. Her father had come into the attic every day for the past week, spewing the same lines about her mother. He never did seem to remember that he had told her. He kept coming back to do it again. "She always did spoil you, ya little bitch. You're spoiled." He growled. _

_"I've never left this attic," the girl replied curtly. She was growing tired of her father being in the attic. At first, it had been a welcome disturbance; her father never came to see her. But it was growing to be tiring, and every time she heard these words, again and again, she grew more angry inside, a firey rage building and pushing to escape. "I would hardly call myself spoiled." _

_"You're _spoiled._" her father stressed. "and you shoul' know better. than to TALK BACK TO ME." he shouted, and she blinked, frowning. _

_"Go downstairs," she mumbled. "Leave me be. Come back tomorrow, after you black out." _

_"No," her father spat. "I'm talkin to you," he said, and stumbled forward into the room. The girl stood up abruptly, frown deepening into a hard scowl._

_"Leave." _

_"No. _You_ leave," her father growled, and raised his hand to slap her. His hand never did meet with the flesh on her cheek, because in less than a moment, he was falling backwards from the hole in the floor, struck back by a harp to the head. Blood spewed from a dent in his face, covering the gold-painted instrument in crimson. The girl crept silently to the hole, peering down. Her father lay at the bottom, unconcious, in a quickly growing pool of blood. A tear escaped her eye, dropping to the room below to mix with her father's blood. As quickly as he had fallen, weeds and vines began to sprout from the floor around him, and then from his own body, pushing through the flesh of his torso and under the lids of his eyes. Flowers blossomed up from his throat, and the girl held back a cry of shock and horror. As more tears fell to the ground below, the room became overgrown, plants climbing the ladder and holding the attic door open, as if welcoming her outside. _

_She stumbled down the ladder, moving slowly through the house. She went into the bathroom, using her parent's larger shower and then wrapping herself in one of their fluffy towels. She ate good food from their kitchen, and took clothes from her mother's closet, and then slept in their bed. It was not her bed, nor was it her house. She had only ever been inside the attic, and she did not know these halls. _

_She gazed out the wide window of their bedroom, unblocked by bars or vines. She closed all the curtains. She wanted badly to leave, but she knew that she would not be safe out there. Her mother had always told her why she was locked up- your power, your birth. The man with the monacle. _

***** THREE WEEKS LATER *****

Penny woke up with a start; she was lying on the floor of a gas station, behind a tall rack, her backpack serving as a pillow. She had three outfits, two from her closet and one from her mother's, a toothbrush, a comb, and a bar of soap. She had a book- _The Lord of the Rings_\- and as much food as would fit. In her hands, she grasped her harp, gold and stained with the blood of her father. It had been three weeks since she had killed him, and since she had woken up and realized that if she didn't leave right then, someone would come looking for him and find her. She cursed silently as she noticed an employee standing above her, tapping his foot. She sat up, scrambling backwards, and then realized her mistake as his eyes widened, trained upon the path of grass and dandelions that had grown from the tile in the shape of her sleeping form- a result of her sweating through dreams of her bloodied father, grass poking up from his eyelids.

"Who- who are you?" the worker asked softly, and she stood up, picking her bag up off the floor and swinging it over her shoulders, harp grasped in her hand. "how did you do that?" 

She shook her head, frowning. "Sorry for sleeping here. I should go," she told him, and then left hurriedly. He didn't try to stop her, only watching with wide eyes as she dissapeared down the road. 

***** ONE DAY LATER *****

Penny found herself seated in the back of a sleek black limosine, bag on the seat beside her, hands white from clutching her harp so tightly. She absently plucked the lowest string, over and over, her thumb twitching across it, not stopping as the vehicle slowed to a stop and the door opened next to her, her driver pulling her out and then grabbing her bag. A man stood before her, on the front step of a large mansion, a monocle resting over his left eye. Five children, all her age, watched curiously from the windows behind him as she was nudged towards the man with the monocle. One more, a girl with brown hair, watched from a seperate window far above, unnoticed. 

"You've been leaving us quite the trail," the man huffed. "I had to track almost seven local news sources down to find out where you were." 

"Why am I here?" Penny asked, and her thumb sped up over the string of her harp. The man wrinkled nose, staring down at the harp. 

"You're specail. Born with a power. I'm going to train you to use it." He replied, and then she was being led inside, up to a room that was now hers. It had light green walls, and it's own large window overlooking a courtyard. The bed was covered in a yellow comforter and soft white pillows. A desk sat across from it, and bookshelves lined one wall, full up with novels. The man said nothing else, but left her there, a woman filing into the room as he left. She was gorgeous, wearing a 50s style dress and perfect makeup.

"Welcome, dear. This will be your room. You can place your clothing in the closet there, where your uniform is. Dinner will be in an hour." she relayed; her tone seemed almost robotic, like she was relaying a prerecorded message. "You'll be staying with us for a while, so make yourself at home. I'll take your harp to clean it," she finished, and reached towards the harp to take it. Penny's eyes widened, and she snatched it away. 

"No," she mumbled. "Don't clean it." There was a pause, and the woman stood smiling, her eyes dazed, before she dusted off her dress. 

"Alright then. Dinner in an hour. Goodbye, dear." She remarked, and then she was gone, shutting the door softly behind her. Penny sat there for a moment before she piled herself into the windowseat on the end of the room, pulling her harp into her lap and closing her eyes. She took a deep breath, and then began to play. 

She kept strumming, her eyes closed as she did, until she heard a cough from the other side of the room. Her eyes flew open, and she whipped around to face the same five children from the window, all peering at her with curious eyes. She gently placed down her harp, and stood.

"Who are you?" she asked.

”Who are _you?_” The girl asked, and cocked her hip to the side. Penny blinked, and glanced sideways out the window for a moment before she remembered that she was supposed to _answer._

“I’m Penny,” she answered awkwardly. “What are your names?”

”Uh- I’m Allison,” the girl responded, seemingly caught off guard. “This is Luther,” she added, pointing to the burly boy standing next to her. 

“And I’m Klause!” Another boy, with curly hair and a lanky form, piped up excitedly. “I love your name. Lucky Penny!” He chuckled, and Penny smiled hesitantly at him while the boy on his left winced.

”Klaus, Ch- chill,” he murmured, and then glanced back to Penny. “I’m Diego,” he added, almost an afterthought. She let her smile widen a bit, nodding. Another boy, shorter than them, stood sort of behind Diego and Klaus. He made no move to introduce himself.

”Uh- what about you?” penny asked. He blinked, glancing towards Klaus and then back at her.

”I’m Ben,” he responded, and after a moment, smiled back at her. “Why are you here?” He asked. Penny blinked, and stared out the window again, letting her gaze slip down the side of a tree in the courtyard and then back over the windowsill onto her harp, covered in red stains. She frowned. 

“I- um,” she bit her lip, and forced herself to look at them again. She wasn’t used to meeting people’s eyes, or even really looking at them. She wasn’t used to people. “He said it’s for my powers,” she whispered, and she watched as a look of realization hit them all at once, like a wave. They all seemed to take it differently; Allison just seemed shocked. The big one- Luther- looked almost angry. The faces of the other three, however, just seemed sort of sad. She blinked at them- Diego, Klaus, and Ben, in their own corner away from the other two. She met Ben’s eyes, and then looked away.

”You mean sir,” Ben mumbled, and at the same time, Luther blurted out, “what power?” Penny let her gaze flicker to Luther. 

“Um... plants. I grow them. Control them.” She whispered. She was starting to feel overwhelmed; these people all knew each other, knew this place. What was she doing here, away from her room, the _attic?_

_”please leave,”_ she choked out, and watched as they filed out. She felt a moment of panic as she looked at the door to see it sitting open, an easy access. She could walk right out, just leave. Get up and leave her room. 

She slammed the door closed in an arc of her arm, wild and afraid, and then backed up again to the window seat. She picked up her harp, but then dropped it as if burned, back to the cushion. She felt a sob tear from her throat, and she fought the urge to scream. She sat there for what felt like infinity, until she quieted down, still sobbing silently into her knees. She didn’t want to go back there, to the attic. But how could she live here, and walk around, and not be there? She didn’t know how.

“H- Hey, I know y- you wanted us out, but m- Mom wanted me to get you for d- d- dinner, so- oh,” she looked up, startled, at the sound of a boy’s voice, although it had quieted almost as soon as it had started. Her eyes met with Diego’s, and she looked away quickly. 

“I’m sorry-“ she started, but he interrupted her.

”wh- wh- Why would you be s- sorry? I’m sorry. I w- walked in on you,” he assured her, which just made her more upset, and another sob slipped from between her teeth where she’d been holding it. He winced. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he rushed. 

“Don’t apologize to me. That’s not- it isn’t-“ _normal,_ she wanted to scream, that’s not normal. She didn’t, but it went unspoken. Diego hesitated, and then folded himself up on the edge of the bed. 

“A- are- do you want to t- talk about it?” He asked slowly, and she stared at him for a moment before shaking her head.

”I don’t think I can,” she whispered. “But... thank you,” she added, and he nodded back at her, watching as she wiped the tears off her face and calmed herself down. He followed her as she stood, and leaned against the doorframe to her bathroom as she washed her face and redid her ponytail, watching her fingers rake through the blonde waves. 

She looked so small. 

He led her downstairs, to the dining room; they were late, and he could feel Reginald’s disapproving look on him. Silently, he pulled out his own chair, and then the empty one next to him, where five used to sit. The feeling of betraying his missing brother was damped by the small smile she gave him, and the way that she curled into herself in the chair, her legs up. Reginald glared disapprovingly at her, but to the surprise of all six children, said nothing. 

“Eat,” he commanded, and Penny watched as the other five- no, six now- children began to eat the food on their plates. She followed suit, picking at her plate and eating small bites. It was more food than she was usually given. Diego finished his, and then raised an eyebrow at her empty plate. She blinked, and shrugged a bit. She wondered why no one was talking, although it was nice to not have to be part of real conversation and not know what to do. 

As soon as the thought crossed her mind, however, the silence was broken by Luther. 

“Is she staying?” He asked loudly, and Penny looked up at him in surprise. Reginald frowned, but did not reprimand him for speaking, to the surprise of the other Hargreeves siblings.

”yes, she will be,” He sighed. “Penny will be joining the academy.” The sibling’s eyes widened as he called her by her name- Penny. Luther looked like a kicked dog.

”Speaking of, Penny, your training will begin tomorrow. Finish your food, you will need the strength.” She blinked a him, and then nodded, turning her eyes down to her food and eating the rest in small, quick bites. Once everyone was done, they stood up- and she scrambled to do so as well- and then left to their rooms. Diego walked with her, not missing the curious look he got from Ben as they went, back up to her room, and then turned to say goodbye before leaving. She grabbed his arm, stopping him from going. 

"Diego... what am I doing here?" she whispered. Her eyes were wide, fearful, and Diego felt a pang in his chest. 

"W- we all have powers. We fight c- c- crime," he explained, and she cast her gaze to his shoes, her grip not releasing from his arm. 

"But why... do I have to fight? Why does he want me?" she asked timidly, and Diego frowned. 

"He w- wants to be p- powerful," he murmured. "and it k- kills him that w- we are and he i- isn't." He said, and she let her gaze flick back up to his before turning away, muttering a goodnight and closing her door softly behind her. Diego wondered if she would sleep, and he moved silently from her door to his- it was right next to her's. Five's was on the other side of his, but the room she had now had always been empty. He got his answer as he began to change into his pajamas, hearing the soft, sweet tones of harp music flit through his cracked window. 

_Penny, _he thought to himself, sitting on the edge of his bed and listening. _Where did you come from?_

_***_

**HEY Y'ALL IT'S AN UPDATE :0 **

**This took a while, nine pages, I'm procrastinating so I won't have to study for my Spanish final! It's fine tho I'd need to get a -30% on it to get below an 80 in the class lmao (I love final grade calculator-)**

**QOTD: Favorite classical instrument?**

**Thanks so much for reading,**

**\- Bridget**


	3. TWO

**Same TWs as before**

**IMPORTANT NOTE: yo soy wrote five out of the first chapter but I totally forgot and made him the main focus of this one and I wasn't about to redo it all so just,, pretend he's been here thank you :):):)**

Training was not what Penny expected it to be- not at all. She woke early in the morning at five, unused to sleeping much, and began her morning ritual. She showered and dressed- putting on the blue uniform that Grace had told her was hers- and brushed out her hair, the mussed blonde curls settling into more orderly waves around her face. She tied them up into a ponytail, and then looked at her reflection, sighing. She'd looked in a mirror before, but it had been small and handheld, and her mother didn't let her keep it in the attic. She only brought it up every once in a while, when she needed to cut Penny's hair. It felt odd, seeing so much of herself. She couldn't decide if she liked what she saw. It seemes so mundane, but at the same time, it fascinated her. She couldn't look away. 

That was how Five found her at six- standing in front of the full-body mirror on the inside of her closet door and staring at herself. 

"Uh- oh, you're up," he spoke, and she looked up at him sharply, her face going red. "I thought I'd come and tell you that we'll be eating at seven. Sir likes us all to be there on time," he informed flatly, and she hesitated before nodding. Five stared at her for a moment. 

"What were you doing?" he asked, and she looked away awkwardly. 

"I was uh, looking at my reflection," she mumbled, and he almost couldn't hear her. This girl was so quiet, he thought, and so scared. How would she be of any use to them? 

"Why?" he pressed, raising an eyebrow, and she flushed darker. _Don't tell me_, Five thought, _she's feeling insecure. _He might pull his own hair out if she told him that. New people and a new environment were no reason to be as helpess as _Penny. _

"I uh... I wanted to see it," she mumbled. "I liked it." she added, with some sense of new-found conviction entering her tone. Her answer, however, confused five. 

"You liked... your reflection? You mean you think you look nice today?" he asked, his confusion masked by lingering annoyance. The girl's eyes drifted back to the mirror, and she stood silently for a moment, moving her fingers over her jawline. 

"Yeah. I look nice," she answered, and there was a soft smile on her lips as she gazed at herself. Five's brow furrowed. Why was she so transfixed? He could admit, she did look pretty in the Umbrella Academy uniform, and her hair looked nice, but it wasn't anything specail, not that she wouldn't have seen a million times before just throwing her hair up and checking it in the mirror. 

"O...kay," he trailed off, and she frowned a bit, glancing at him. 

"Sorry," she mumbled hurriedly. "I'm being arrogant. I should cover the mirror," she added, and Five thought- it almost seemed like she was simply talking to herself. The words almost weren't directed at him at all. 

"Why cover it?" he asked, and this time, his confusion was apparent. She closed the closet door, trapping the mirror away inside, and shook her head. 

"Mom said I shouldn't be arrogant. I was lucky to even be there, she didn't want me to become selfish and ungrateful and want to lea-" she cut herself off, eyes widening, and shook her head.

"To... leave? Leave where?" Five asked slowly, his brows pushing farther together on his forehead as he tried to piece things together. What kind of mother wouldn't let their daughter look in a mirror? Even Sir Fucking Reginald gave them mirrors, althogh Five wouldn't put that sort of thing past him. He was shaken from his thoughts when he noticed Penny- she was obviously trying not to cry, trying to think of some lie to tell him. His face softned. 

"Hey, hey it's fine. You can tell me, I- I won't tell the others. You can trust me," he assured, and although he told himself it was a lie, he just needed to know- he felt himself grow soft at the absolute panic on her face, the way her breathing picked up at the thought of discussing her past. He needed to know what had happened to her- had her mother been abusive? Was she beaten? he certainly thought he could relate, what with his training and all, but Penny seemed different than him and his siblings. She was afraid to be in the same room as all of them at once, let alone to be touched, and she seemed to panic whenever she so much as thought about her past. 

"To leave- to leave the attic," she finally whispered, and Five's eyes widened in surprise. "She didn't want me to start being ungrateful and try to leave the attic." 

"She wouldn't let you _leave the ATTIC?" _Five shouted, and then quickly quieted at Penny's panicked face. "Sorry. I'm sorry, it's just... were you... always? In the attic, I mean," he mumbled, and she nodded slowly. Five felt anger bubbling in his chest- and sadness. He moved to take her hand- and then realized how awkward that was, and then went to hug her before realizing she probably had issues with human contact- and then he settled for sitting down on the edge of her bed, nudging her to sit with him. It was awkward, and weird, and he felt out of his element. But he knew he had to say something, do something. That... how could he not? She was such a small, breakable thing, that he could see since they had first met her. He had thought she was just annoying, stuck up, wimpy, but- his heart tore itself to shreds at the thought of never being able to leave his room. Never being able to use his power to escape, never being able to walk more than ten feet. 

It wasn't until 6:47, when Diego poked his head into the room and saw them chatting lazily, both laying backwards on Penny's bed, that Five started to think maybe he really did like Penny, in a non-pitying kind of way. He still thought she seemed fragile, and felt a wild urge to protect her in his gut. But Penny was... Penny. They'd been talking for almost half an hour, and she kept making him laugh (which was some kind of miracle to Diego, who'd walked in to find five snorting at one of her jokes,) and she was just... nice. She wasn't selfish or mean like his siblings could be. She was just a girl, who was there, who was talking. She had no ulterior motive. 

"Uh... h- hey," Diego mumbled, and Penny glanced up at the door befor pulling herself into a sitting position. 

"Hey Diego," she greeted softly, and then glanced between him and Five. "You guys really don't knock much, do you?" she hummed. Diego blushed lightly, and Five just shrugged, smiling at her from where he lay on his back. 

"Hey, I was a gentleman," he hummed. "I refrained from jumping into the middle of your room. Expect that, by the way, because I don't like having to walk," he grinned, and she smacked his arm. 

"Whatever," she laughed, and stood, stretching. "I guess we should... go _down,_ then," she mumbled, glancing at the clock. Neither Five nor Diego missed the way she paused when saying go down, but only Five understood. He linked his arm into her's wordlessly, and she smiled up at him gratefully. She was a short thing, he thought to himself. He wasn't very tall either, and even he was taller than her. He could lean over her, if he wanted. He understood psycology well- although he considered to be one of the least respectable academic professions, it was useful to be able to read people- and he knew that she was probably unused to this. To leaving, to walking down stairs, to getting up in the morning and actually _going._

The three of them walked down, Penny being nearly- but not quite- dragged by Five as they rounded the corner towards the stairs. She stepped on them hesitantly, as if she thought she might fall through, and Diego watched her with a weary eye. They made it down just in time to stand and be seated with the rest of the academy- Diego, then Penny, then Five. They ate, again wordlessly, and Penny focused on her meal, trying to loose herself in the familiar act of eating. She kept one knee pressed against Five's, who would occasionally pull his own an inchi or so away and then knock it back into hers assuringly. She smiled thankfully at him the first time he did it, and he smiled back, surprising Klaus and Ben, who were sitting opposite them. Five never smiled at any of them- he was always so serious. He wasn't fun, and sometimes they even joked he had no emotions (although Ben knew that wasn't true.) He took everything seriously and followed orders and read books full of equations to learn new things. He didn't smile. 

But he was. Smiling. 

***

"Numbe- Penny. You will have personal training today, to analyze your powers and figure out how best to train you from now on. You will be able to join the others in training later on." Reginald began. He was standing with Penny in the courtyard; the others had begun to follow them out earlier, only to be told to take the day off. They'd looked relieved, but Penny could see that they all still had a glint of fear in their eyes. Fear for her? she hoped not. She was afraid to begin, afraid to be alone with this man.

She nodded. 

"Good. Your powers involve growing and controlling plants, if I remember correctly. I've seen the news clips of your father, of course-" Penny winced, but he kept speaking, "-but no one will find you. The police have no record of your fingerprint or of how you look. They have, of course, discovered your old room, but they think that it was probably a room built for a still-born during a home birthing that your parents never mentioned." 

"We will begin by seeing the extent of your powers. I'd like you to grow me something, please," he commanded, and Penny nodded once more, a little bit more shakily this time, before kneeling on the ground and closing her eyes, allowing a small dandelion to sprout beneath her fingers and then to bloom. She quickly pulled her hand away, and Reginald seemed unimpressed. 

"Again. Something bigger," he hummed, and she turned back to the ground. This time, she grew a vine of creeping ivy, letting it push out of the dirt and then up to her arm, where it began to twine itself around her and then back to the ground, draping down and over to unfurl it's tip at Reginald's shoe. She closed her fingers. 

"Better. Now tell me, do you know how to control them?"

***

Training continued in the same pattern for hours; she would grow a plant, and then Reginald would stand unsmiling and add a new demand to his list. The plants had to be her height. They had to be taller than her. They needed to move without her touching them. They needed to grow without her touching them. 

By the end of the day, Reginald and Penny stood in the very center of the courtyard, surrounded by a range of overgrown garden plants. Reginald surveyed the land around him, and then finally moved his gaze- still unsmiling- back to Penny. 

"Remarkable progress, Penny. I have never seen such great improvement in the span of one day," he told her, and then removed himself, slinking off into the wall of plants around them and dissapearing, unsmiling. Penny stood for a moment, and then she sat, and allowed the plants closest to her to lean inwards, crooning, and brush up against her limbs. The dandelion- the small one- twisted itself an inch higher from it's place by her right foot, and bent itself over her shoe in an arch. She smiled softly at it. 

"I'm alright, I'm fine," she hummed to it. "Nothing I can't handle," she chuckled, and then copied the flower, drooping her back down to curl over the ground behind her. A few stories above, six children sat huddled by the window of their violinist sister, peering down and observing. They'd been there all day, chatting, and watching Penny work. Luther was fuming, of course, but aside from him, everybody else seemed to fall into agreement. 

_This one would not be harmed. _

_***_

**Chapter two done! I totally forgot abt five lmao but its fine!!! **

**QOTD: Favorite kind of flower?**  
  
Thanks so much for reading!

**\- Bridget**


	4. THREE

The next three days, Penny began training with the others; strength training, combat training, speed training, endurance. Everything she could ever need, they practiced. Reginald had them running up and down flights of stairs, racing each other around the building, scaling the walls of the mansion. If you could find a loophole with your powers which got you out of exercising, it was welcome, but overall, most of them were still forced to train _hard. _Even Five, who teleported instead of walking or running, was forced to do his own pull-ups and pushups and weight training. Teleportation couldn't get him out of that. 

Vanya, who Penny had spoken to a bit after her first training (after dinner,) didn't have to do the training, which Penny was extremely jealous of. 

"You get to play violin while I'm out being thrown through rings of fire," she sighed exaggeratedly, and Vanya laughed. "I'm not strong like the others are, I get left in the dust," she added, and Vanya sighed as well. 

"I feel that," she mumbled, and they shared a small smile. Penny knew Vanya felt left out of their activities since she was the only one with no powers, but it didn't stop Penny from hanging out with her any moment she could. Penny knew all too well what it felt like not being included- much too well. She had caved and told Vanya about the attic, and since then, Vanya had been extremely welcoming to her. The others (aside from Five) had no clue what had happened to bring her here, but Vanya knew that whatever she thought she was going through, Penny had had it worse. She was determined to make Penny feel at home here, walking around with her and the others and having some newfound freedom, just as much as Five was. Vanya was glad, that it had been Five she spoke to first as well. Five acted tough, yes, but he was caring, and no matter how much you thought you were different to him, he always understood your troubles. 

Vanya and Five were closer than she was to any of her other siblings; he tried to include her as much as he could, although she was still left behind often. He talked to her all the time, and the afternoon after Penny's third day of training, she was the topic. Vanya asked where she was, and Five had told her with his trademark blunt annoyance that Klaus had stolen her off somewhere.

"Everone seems to like her except for Luther," he continued. "and we all know that _that's _only because of his superiority complex."

"Yeah," Vanya chuckled. "he's annoying."

"I wouldn't have put it that way, but yes, he is. I'd have said... obtuse," he hummed, and Vanya snorted. 

"Well, at least everyone else is nice to her," she sighed, and glanced out her window. She could see Klaus flitting out of the door into the courtyard below, ever shadow-like, and Penny bounding after him, looking like some kind of angel. Sometimes Vanya thought Penny looked as if she was floating; she'd taken to wearing her own long, flowing skirts instead of the uniform ones Sir had given her. he said nothing- vanya supposed he felt less powerful speaking to somewhat of a stranger. The skirts looked nice with their uniform blazers, and they flowed around her. When they did difficult training, and Sir asked her to go change, she would simply pul the ends of her skirt around her legs and tie them up into shorts. Vanya loved to watch her do it; it seemed like a magic trick, and every time, a flit of annoyance crossed Sir's face.

Klaus grinned at Penny, and she grinned back, saying something that Vanya couldn't hear. She was probably being a smartass- or a dumbass- or both at once. Five joined her at the window. 

"Yeah," he agreed, his voice sort of subdued. "It's good that most everyone is welcoming. I don't know if it'd be much harder for her if we weren't, but..."

"It would be worse," Vanya told him decidedly. "She's never had... people. She needs positive experiences with them." Five nodded, and continued staring out the window, brow furrowed. Vanya's face softened. "She'll be fine, Five. Klaus can take care of her," she assured. His eyebrow rose, and she smacked him. 

"He does handle a high better than we tend to give him credit for," Five sighed, and Vanya smiled at him, nodding. She felt bad about how they looked down on Klaus- she knew he had a reason. Most of the others, besides Ben, probably, didn't know about the Mosoleum. She knew, because no one ever noticed her, and she could spy on almost any conversation they had without being spotted. Five just fucking knew everything. 

"I don't understand her," he sighed after a few minutes of watching the courtyard silently. Klaus had taken Penny's hand, pulling her up into a tree behind him. He said something witty, and she laughed, saying something back. Klaus burst into laughter, almost falling off the branch, but the one behind him moved forward to brace him, and he grabbed onto it, eyes wide with awe. His mouth moved, but Vanya and Five had no clue what he was saying. 

"What do you mean?" Vanya asked quietly. Five shook his head, but continued. 

"She's so afraid to live. Has her parents to thank for that, but... she's so _good _at it." He mumbled. 

"At what, living?" Vanya pressed, and Five nodded. 

"She's better at living than any of us," he sighed. "but she's barely even used to it." 

***

In the courtyard, a lanky boy with curly hair laughed, and began to fall backwards off of a treebranch- he would have, if it wasn't for the quick thinking and incredible power of the girl sitting next to him. Another branch braced him, and his eyes widened. 

"That's so cool," he breathed, and she giggled. 

"Thanks," she hummed, and Klaus grinned at her, laughing more. Klaus was always laughing, Penny thought. It was a good way to be. 

"I wish ghosts were as useful as plants," he hummed, "or I wouldn't have to banish them." She nodded. 

"Sometimes I think plants can be ghosts of their own way," she whispered, somberly, and Klaus let himself stare at her as her eyes drew away from him to fall over the courtyard. "They live, but then they're gone. They leave behind their shells to become new life, but... no one knows where the rest of them goes," her voice was low now. It was becoming dark out, but her eyes shone. "I don't suppose you do," she added timidly, and Klaus shook his head slowly. 

"No," he mumbled, and she nodded. 

"I assumed as much," she sighed. Klaus blinked, and leaned back against the branch behind him, curling his legs up in front of him as he watched Penny. 

"You speak like the dead," he observed, and her eyes shifted to glance back at him as he did. "You're quiet and sad, and sometimes angry, even when you're not. Even when you're loud," he sighed. He wasn't sure what made him say it- blame the high. He kept going. "You remind me of the good ones, though. Not the ones who scream. The ones who don't talk. They watch, but they don't talk. You seem like them. They like you," he carried on. He was rambling, and it was definetly more the high now than him. He stopped himself as Penny turned her gaze up to the moon. It was high in the sky now; more time must have passed in their silent pauses then he realized. He wondered if Sir would tell them to get to bed, and then he thought not. Sir pretended to care, but he only wanted to control them. He didn't care if they were too tired for training. They would train regardless, the following morning. 

"Sometimes, things don't have to be dead, to be dead," she mused. Klaus watched with rapt attention as she blinked, slowly, and then gazed up at the moon again. Her eyes were glazed, but not in the same way that his were glazed over with dullness. Hers were large and shined, but they were cloudy with emotion. "Sometimes we're born dead. Sometimes we're trapped," she whispered, and her face become motionless. Klaus felt he should say something. He couldn't. 

"Sometimes our lives aren't for us," she finally continued. "Sometimes, we're made for other people. And that's just what we have to do. And we bring the life into the world, but we're still dead, ourselves. I think that that's the truth," she breathed, voice barely audible, a whisp of hot air into the night sky.

Far, far above them, a girl looked down. She went by many names, and she liked to watch this girl, her creation. It was only recently that she had left her old home, the attic, and the girl called God had been watching over her since. She listened to the words Penny spoke, and she felt a twisting in her chest, although really she did not have one. She could create many forms for herself, but she always would remain as nothing and everything she could and would be, all at once. She thought that Penny deserved another gift; another power. She had been created and then abandoned in the wands of the woman with nothing, and it had not been the life she was meant for. She had been meant for great things, Penny, but she would not achieve them now, with this fear plaguing her soul. 

"Oh, Penny," the girl sighed, and she began creating something new. A new power- or an addition, more like. She finished thinking it, and then she sent it down. "I love you," she whispered, but the words were lost in the winds of nothing and everything; they spread across the galaxy, but they were never found by Penny. She'd always been one of God's favorites, the girl thought, but she felt no shame for it. Why create if not to pick and choose?

***

In the morning, Penny rose for breakfast, and ate in silence with the others. Then she got up, and proceeded to follow them outside to training. Reginald led them into the courtyard. 

"Today, you will be training in one on one combat," he told them sternly. "One and Three, Two and Six. Penny, you will work with Five. Four, you will work with Two and Six in intervals," he ordered. Penny smiled at Five, moving to stand by him, when Reginald stopped them. 

"No, that won't do," he huffed, and then he simply stood for a moment. "Five, work with Two and Four. Six, with Penny," he altered, and Ben nodded stiffly, moving towards Penny. She had spoken to him a couple times, but never for long. She wasn't sure he entirely liked her. 

They began training without speaking, moving around each other and then beginning to spar. Penny knew that Ben's powers were far beyond her, and that he could easily take her out. He didn't have the control that she had, though, so he was much more limited in using them. She just needed to take him out quickly and easily, without letting him catch her off-guard. She could do that. 

He launched forward to strike her, his arm twisting around to elbow her in the side. She dodged underneath, springing up behind him and growing a vine out to trip him. He stumbled, and she caught his foot under hers, sending him to the floor. She thought of pinning him down with her knee, but as she caugh Reginald watching her, she flicked her hand instead, and thick wooden branches twined themselves over Ben's wrists and ankles. Ben's eyes widened as he was stopped from recovering, and a moment of panic shot through his gaze as he realized that he would have to use his powers to escape. Penny moved backwards, preparing to dodge and possibly run when he did, but instead, he simply went limp in the prison she had created around him. 

"You win," he mumbled, and her brow furrowed. Across the courtyard, Reginald's face grew angry. Penny quickly moved towards Ben, putting one knee over his chest and making it look like she was restraining him further, growing less solid vines over his stomach where the Eldritch would come from. 

"What are you doing?" she hissed, glaring down at him, and Ben blinked in confusion. Penny rolled her eyes. "make it look like you're struggling, at least," she mumbled, and he nodded, beginning to strain against her. 

"Why aren't you using your power?" she hissed, and Ben looked guilty. 

"It's dangerous. I can't control it, and-" he trailed off, and Penny frowned. 

"and you might hurt me?" she asked. He nodded, and suddenly, the vines were gone from around his limbs. He sprang upwards (since he'd been struggling,) knocking Penny backwards and standing above her. He watched as a throny vine rose next to her shoulder and quickly cut into it, blood pouring out and down her torso. Ben scrambled over, pulling her up.   
"You absolute asshole," he murmured, and then he began checking over her. "are you alright? Why would you- uhg, be _careful,_" he huffed, and Penny just laughed, looking down and watching as blood poured over the shoulder of her uniform. 

"Maybe now I can get away with tank-tops," she hummed. He laughed, and then smacked her good shoulder. 

"Don't make jokes! You just maimed yourself-" he cut himself off as Reginald approached them. he frowned. 

"Six, go spar with Four," he said flatly, his voice severe. he nodded, quickly running off. "I suppose you'll be needing more training before you can fight against his power," Reginald sighed. "Go get Grace to fix you up, You'll work with Five from now on." Penny nodded briskly, moving out of the courtyard to be healed. Meanwhile, the others continued to train. Five looked after her as she dissapeared through the door, worry apparent in his eyes as Klaus moved away from him and he was left to spar with Diego. His partner threw a knife at him, and it clipped his shoulder before he could react and jump out of the way. He winced as the knife returned to Diego's hand, thrown like some kind of boomerang, and he grimaced. 

"What's w- wrong with you today, man? Usually you k- k- kick my ass," Diego sighed, and Five shook his head, throwing himself at Diego and jumping to his other side in time to steal a knife from his belt, dodging the one he'd thrown. He jumped in front of him again, and Diego reached for his belt only to find nothing there. Before he could grab a different one, Five had knocked him over, holding the knife to his neck. "Is it b- because you think someone's going to h- hurt her?" he snickered, and Five frowned, pressing the knife closer to his neck. 

"Shut up, _two_," Five spat, but even as soon as he'd said it, the knife was ripped from his grasp and he'd been flipped over to be pinned by Diego. 

"L- listen, you know B- ben isn't going to hurt her. I saw it m- m- myself, she got cut by a thorn branch when she f- fell back." He told Five. "Don't be mad at Ben."

"Thorn branches don't _rip people's shoulders open,_" Five growled, and Diego chuckled. 

"They do when someone's c- controlling them, though, and I know for a f- fact that Ben isn't strong enough to rip through treebranches w- w- with his wrists and ankles." He argued, and Five's brow knit tighter. She'd let him go on purpose? She'd injured herself on purpose?

"Why?" he huffed, and finally managed to throw Diego off of him long enough to jump away without taking him along. Diego shrugged. 

"You can ask Ben, when we're d- done," he offered. Five sighed, but he supposed it'd have to do. "for now, you'd b- b- better get your head back into it before dear old d- dad decides you need to be motivated," he added, and raised an eyebrow. Five nodded, and they jumped back into their battle. 

***

A knock sounded against Penny's door; dinner had been an hour ago, so she was surprised anyone had come to talk. They were supposed to be in their rooms by this time, not hanging out. She knew it wouldn't be Diego, because he never knocked, and it wasn't Five, because he usually just jumped straight to the middle of her room. Klaus would have just asked her to open up; he loved the sound of his own voice... wo who was it, Ben, or Allison? (it definetly wasn't Luther.) 

Penny slowly swung the door inwards, and her eyes met with Ben's. 

"Hello," she greeted awkwardly, and Ben blinked. 

"Uh, hey. Can I come in?" he mumbled, and she nodded, swinging the door open wider. He walked slowly past her, and looked around her room. he hadn't been inside of it since she'd arrived, but it hadn't changed much. It still looked like a shell of a place, like no one lived there. He could see through the open door of the closet that it was still empty, except the hanging skirt of her uniform that she refused to wear. Her clothes were folded neatly in a pile next to her backpack, and her toiletries were placed neatly inside the open bag. He grimaced as he stood awkwardly in the middle of the room. 

"What is it?" she finally asked, sitting on the edge of her bed. Ben thought for a moment before replying. 

"Why did you do that for me?" he finally asked, and Penny's eyebrow rose. 

"Why wouldn't I?" she asked, and Ben watched as a peony flower seemed to sprout from nothing, pushing through the hair of her ponytail. She plucked it out, grimaced, and placed it on the desk, among a small pile of flowers and vines that he hadn't noticed before. The flower seemed to shiver. 

"Because we've basically never spoken. You don't know me," he pushed, and Penny just laughed lightly. 

"So what?" she hummed. "Why would I let you be the subject of Reginald's wrath? You get enough of that as it is," she sighed, and Ben blinked in surprise. Penny shouldn't even _be _here. She didn't deserve to be put through training, forced into their lifestyle of toxic familial structures and grueling combat. She didn't deserve to be the subject of trauma, like the other had been for years. 

Penny was too good for this life, Ben decided. Across the room, she smiled at him, and he thought for a moment about how scarily good she was at reading his and his siblings' faces. 

"Don't worry about me, Ben," she sighed. "I'm going to be just fine." 

It wasn't until ten minutes later, holed up in his room with Five, that Ben discovered the truth about Penny's past, tense and somber. Five uttered the story to him, and Ben paled at the thought. 

"her mother was gone and she couldn't deal with her father," Five muttered. "She snapped. I don't blame her." 

"How long ago, was her mother gone?" Ben asked softly, and Five grimaced. 

"about two months ago. Maybe three. She left, and then Sir brought her here."

Ben's face paled, and he gazed out of the window. 

_"Go ahead and kill me, then. You've got one of those little powers, right, that's what you're here to do?" The woman's voice was raspy and gray, and Ben shivered as he stood in front of her. "He's gonna kill you, too, kid, eventually. He's gonna kill us all," she laughed. "He's already killed mine. Little daughter. Never did get to live, really, at all. He killed her," she growled, and then coughed up blood. Ben sobbed. _

_"DO IT," she screamed wildly, and Ben shook his head, backing away, even as he could feel the tentacles writhing beneath his skin, fighting to get out. The woman toppled to the ground, laughing wildly. She was trapped here, with him, but then again, she always had been trapped. Even when she left, she was trapped, and then Reginald had swooped down and re-trapped her, a cage within a cage where she was held. 'Where is she?' he had asked her, but she'd just laughed. There was no bribery of freedom from a cage within a cage. _

_"Just fucking let me out," she hissed, forehead pressed to the floor. "Fucking Blackwood girls never get to be free. Rip me up," she spat, and then it all exploded in a flash of black and a tear of pain through Ben's spine. _


	5. FOUR

**A/N: Off of hiatus,, maybe?? Im bored of my other story whoops!**

*******

Breakfast the next morning was silent. Of course it was silent. Penny was the only one who could initiate conversation without being reprimanded, and the rest doubted that even that would last for long. The longer she stayed here, the easier it would be for Reginald to control her. Today, anyways, Penny seemed to have nothing to say. This wasn't unusual, but to the Ben, it meant everything. The clatter of silverware filled his ears. So did her screams.

_"Go ahead and kill me, then. You've got one of those little powers, right, that's what you're here to do?" The woman's voice was raspy and gray, and Ben shivered as he stood in front of her. "He's gonna kill you, too, kid, eventually. He's gonna kill us all," she laughed. "He's already killed mine. Little daughter. Never did get to live, really, at all. He killed her," she growled, and then coughed up blood. Ben sobbed. _

Penny raised an eyebrow at him from where she sat, and he started. He'd been staring into his meal again. She smiled softly. He couldn't bring himself to smile back. He looked back down, his frown deepening. It bit into her chest to see that, and her own soft smile was replaced by her own frown, her eyebrows knitting. 

*******

The transition from breakfast to training came as smoothly as ever; the children pushed in their chairs and left for wherever Sir had decided they would begin that day, uniforms hanging to their shoulders like the weights they were forced to lift. Only Penny looked the least bit free; her skirt flowed around her like water, and when she came to a stop in the coutyard with the rest of them, it lapped against the back of her ankles like the waves on the shore. Klaus stared, and then quickly looked back to Reginald. Pay attention. _Attention_. He couldn't dissapoint their father again; it had happened too often recently to bode well for him. He _wouldn't _be sent back there. 

Reginald finished telling them what to do; they spread out, finding pairs or groups. Eventually, Reginald sniffed, dissatisfied, and split their numbers in half himself. Penny was last to be sorted, standing alone in between two lines of the others, not meeting anyone's eyes. She stared straight ahead of herself, towards nothing. Finally, Reginald told her to choose a side, and she looked back up at him, frozen.   
"I- uh..." her voice trailed off, dissapearing like honey fading into a hot drink. Reginald tapped his foot once, and a small dusting of embarrassment colored her cheeks. He only waited another moment before he breathed in, drawing all of the children's attention back to him simultaineously.   
"Since you seem to be at a loss for which team to choose," he said, his voice sick with sadism, "you may be your own team." Penny blinked, and then her gaze slipped away from him again. The children expected her to argue- to say _no. That isn't fair, what will I be able to do against six of them?_ They expected her to scream. To cry. To run. 

Penny did nothing, simply stepping back to become her own line, a line of one. Just a girl, her own army, holding a secret arsenal. No one knew what might be within it. The children felt themselves morphing into expressions of confusion, shock- _but what did they really expect?_ Klaus mused to himself. _Penny didn't scream. She didn't run. _Klaus didn't know if she had the strength to. 

_But she should. She could. She could be free, still, even now. _He wanted to scream at her. _Leave_, he wanted to shout. _Get OUT_. 

Penny nodded once, and Reginald began to speak again- the rules of the game, as they were always given. And then the show began. 

*******

Penny didn't know what the fuck she was doing. Of course she didn't. She'd barely had any training time- how long had it been? A week? Two? Not even that. Who did she think she was? She should step back, silently join a team, burn with shame while Reginald watched, bemused, over his monacle. She should protest- but something was stopping her. What? What primal death wish could she possibly have, to go against everyone else in the academy alone? 

_"You are not alone," _a voice carried on the breeze, and stirred in her ears. Penny shivered. She was hearing things now, of course she was. She was insane, that must be it.   
"_You'll do great," _the voice mumbled. _"Now, to the end." _Penny didn't hear these words; she was focused, now, for the others were preparing to attack, all poised at different people, only Klaus facing her. 

They moved all at once; in a blur, Five was gone, only to reappear next to Diego, who had just thrown a knife in his direction. It swung back around to his hand, and Five narrowly dodged it on it's way back around. Luther jumped at Ben, who rolled out of the way, his eyes narrowed. Allison moved in front of Ben, blocking Luther's punch and using the momentum to flip him over her shoulder. Penny gasped; the scene was mesmerizing, in a twisted sort of way. _Jump, says the man, and the monkeys will soar, _she thought to herself. She was too busy watching the battle erupt to notice Klaus creeping up behind her. In a moment, his hand was over her mouth; another was wrapped around her wrist. Her eyes widened; she hadn't even noticed Klaus move from the group. Of course she hadn't; no one had. He was like a phantom. Never seen, never heard- maybe that was why he was so loud. 

Penny could feel Reginald's eyes bore into her. _How pathetic, _she could imagine him saying. _She can't even face up to number Four. _Her blood seemed to boil for a moment; she felt her lips, soft and delicate, turn coarse and tight. she bit down on Klaus' hand, and blood spirted from his skin as thorns, thick and black, bit with her. He tore his hand away, crying out in pain, and staggering slightly. As he pulled it out of her grasp, the skin ripped, and Penny blinked. She couldn't see her mouth, but she could feel a little piece of skin clinging there. She felt sick, and as her lips changed again, she watched it fall to the ground in front of her. Klaus hissed behind her, bringing his hand to his mouth and sucking on the wound, wincing. She turned to him, eyes wide and mouth open. Blood dribbled down her cheek.   
"Klaus?" she asked quietly. His gaze crinkled in worry- in _fear._

It was only then that she realized how silent everybody was. Slowly, she turned back around, looking at the rest of the children. They stood silently, still locked in their battle positions. Luther had his hands around Allison's wrists, which were up. Ben hung around his neck, on his back. Diego had a knife poised to strike Five's shoulderblade. She noticed, then, as she stared down at the academy- poised in their dance like puppets on strings- that flowers had erupted from the ground at their feet, trailing back to her, maroon with thick petals. They reeked of sugar sweetness and blood. 

"Go see Grace, then," Sir sniffed. Klaus shot one last look at the girl, and then hurried off. "Penny, you are to go train in the gym. The rest of you will begin the exercise again." 

*******

Penny stood in the middle of the academy gym; her eyes flitted around the place wildly. She felt lost, trapped. 

Slowly, she started towards a rack of exercise bands, pulling one off of the rack. It was fairly loose, not a ton of resistance. She started to exercise, using the bands for resistance while she did crunches. She was anxious at first, eyes flitting around the gym, but eventually she relaxed, falling into the routine. She quickly grew tired of the exercise though, and moved to a punching bag in the corner. She grew tired of that too. She sat down in the middle of the gym floor, frowning. She twiddled her fingers, and quickly, a branch began to twist out from between them. She smiled at it.   
_"Kiss the branch, Penny," _the voice swept through her ears once more, and she closed her eyes for a moment, breathing in.   
"Why?" she whispered. 

_"Trust me." _

She bent her lips down slowly; she hesitated. Finally, her lips pressed against the smooth bark.   
A moment later, the branch began to twist wildly, falling from her grasp and extending as she backed away. It became trunk, which sprouted more branches- which twisted together into arms and legs. The top of the trunk thinned, then becoming thick again, and then the movement stopped, and the... tree? Branch? blinked open thick, dark eyes, looking down at Penny. She gasped.   
  


*******

There was silence at dinner. No one asked where Penny had been; what she'd been doing. There was no need to. Afterwards, Penny climbed the stairs back to her room silently. Waiting in her closet was Gaia, his knees curled to his chest as he sat obediently in the corner. Penny smiled.   
"Come out, Gaia," she mused. "and sit with me. I'll play for you." She removed her harp from it's place on the window seat, and the tree-man, whom she had named Gaia, climbed dutifully up. As Penny curled into the corner of the window seat, beginning to strum her fingers across the bloodied harp's strings, Gaia folded in on himself to rest in the space opposite her, closing his eyes and bowing his head to listen. One of his wooden hands folded into his lap; the other came to brace him against the window, keeping him in place. Penny shifted, just slightly, to allow him more room. 

It hadn't taken her long to figure out who- or rather what- Gaia was. She had created him; that much was obvious. She had then been able to figure out that he would protect her; she had stumbled over a weight backing away from him, and he had sped across the room to right her before she could fall. If she wanted, he would also spar with her. She spent a good few hours after that moment sparring with Gaia, so that Sir wouldn't find her skiving off her training if he checked. After that, seeing that no one had come, she had rushed him up to her room. She didn't know what might happen to him if he was seen. He'd waited for her there, but now she was back, and she would sit with him. He had been wonderful today, and even more so just to sit and listen. _How many times had Penny just sat and listened? _More than she could count. Now, she would sit and play. 

Her eyes slipped shut, and she fell into the melody. The song was slow and easy; practiced by her hand a hundred times. Gaia swayed with the plucked notes, until there was a sharp intake of breath, and Penny fumbled her fingering. Her eyes shot open to see Klaus, standing in her doorway. 

"Penny... what-"

"Shut the door!" she hissed. Klaus nodded slowly, but before he could push it closed behind him, Gaia had stretched his limbs outward, moving across the small floor and gently closing the doorway to the hall. Penny smiled. "Thank you, Gaia."

Klaus blinked. "_Gaia? _Greek empress titan Gaia? The Fucking Earth, Gaia?" Penny blinked at him; then she laughed, a tinkling sound bursting from her throat. She put a hand over her mouth, stopping when she was the look of terror flicking into Klaus' eyes. She calmed. 

"He's harmless Klaus. I just named him that. Well, not harmless. But he won't hurt _you_," she spoke softly. Klaus shifted his eyes to the side, stepping slowly away from the tree-thing. 

"How do you know?" 

"Because you aren't attacking me," she shrugged. There was a pause. "You can sit, you know," she mumbled. Klaus nodded, curling himself onto the foot of her bed. She smiled softly, then looked up at Gaia, tilting her head. He moved to the floor in front of his previous space on the window seat, sitting with his legs crossed. Penny began to play again. 

"Where did you learn it?" Klaus eventually asked, and his voice carried in the room. Penny didn't pause. 

"The harp?" she questioned. He nodded, and she smiled sadly, her gaze shifting out to look down at the courtyard as her fingers danced across the harp's strings, slightly faster now. 

"I taught myself. I had a lot of time on my hands, back then," she murmured. Klaus furrowed his brow, but nodded once more. She continued to play, the song unfolding itself like satin being unraveled off of a shelf- falling and tumbling to the dusty floor of the shop it resided in. After a few more minutes, Penny gasped, and a note rang off-kilter, the song halting. Klaus could feel the satin hitting the floor then, rolling out farther than it should be, sending dust into the air. A drop of blood slipped down the string. Klaus winced. 

"I'm sorry about training," Penny said suddenly. In the new silence, it was just like that cloud of dust. "I don't know what happened." Klaus looked down at his bandaged hand, frowning, and then back up at her. 

"Your moth... there were thorns. You looked green," he mumbled. "It just startled me, is all, it wasn't a bad cut." 

"You're lying," she said quickly. There was silence again. It carried, now, for longer than any of the pauses before. When Klaus finally left the room, neither said goodbye. He did not meet her eyes.   
  


*******

**A/N: Ig Im off hiatus now! This does not mean updates will be,, fast :,)   
  
QOTD: If you could have any power, what would you choose??   
Thanks sm for reading everyone!**   
  
**\- Bridget <3**


	6. FIVE

There was nothing Diego would have liked more than to have a moment to talk to Penny; just one second, to ask her a question that had been plaguing his mind for days. But she seemed always to be busy with one thing or another; she would be playing her harp with Vanya accompanying, or she would be giggling over something with Klaus, or she would be sitting with Ben, reading, or she would be training with Five in the gym. There never seemed to be a spare moment; she was always sitting with someone, doing something. She was never just _there. _

He knew there were times when she was alone; of course there were. But he could hardly come to talk to her while she was asleep, or while she had private training (sometimes with Reginald- others, she was left alone. Diego wondered why.) And he couldn't figure out when else to ask her his question. 

_"Why?"_

He hadn't been worried about her arrival when it had first happened; it had been a surprise, sure. But that was only because he had never known anything in this house to be except for his siblings, and pogo, and their father and mother. It was arguable that he didn't even know that much. But the longer Penny had stayed- the more allowances his father had given her- the more he wondered. Why? Why was she here, and why wouldn't she go? He thought, if Reginald trusted her to train on her own, and to have leisure among their siblings, and to sleep in a room without a camera- (five had checked, not even two days after her arrival. He was very protective of her-) that surely, she must be able to go. She was here of free will; that was how it seemed. 

_Today_, he thought, as he watched from the corner of his eye as Penny ate breakfast._ I'll ask her today._ The Hargreeves children- and Penny, by extention- had the day off from training, as their mother had insisted, for it was Easter. They still ate silently; there would be no celebration afterwards, but the children revelled in the small freedom of an easy day. 

When breakfast was finished, they all stood, and began to file out. Penny was last to go, right behind Diego. Before he could stop her in the hall, however, and ask her to talk, there was a _'pop'_ sound and a flash of blue as Five jumped back to where she stood. 

"Are you coming up to Vanya's room?" he asked. Diego fought not to wince. He'd always hated the pretentious little curl to Five's voice; now, as he was unintentionally interrupted, it made his skin crawl. 

There was a moment of silence as Penny blinked away her surprise, and then shook her head slowly. "No, thank you." Five nodded; he didn't ask where she was going, and Diego supposed he must know. Diego didn't. 

Five popped away- Penny began to walk again. As she moved to pass him, Diego tapped her arm lightly, and she turned back to him. 

"Wh- where are you g- g- going?" he asked, and she blinked heavily before tilting her head slightly, gazing off into empty space. 

"The gym, probably," she hummed. Diego's brow furrowed. 

"Why? We d- don't have to tr- train today." He remarked, and she let her gaze slide back to him. 

"I know," she said simply, and frowned. "I just... I don't know. You could come with me if you'd like." He stopped to wait, but there was no joke or laugh. Why was she inviting him? She never took anyone with her when she did this. He shrugged. 

"Uh, sure," he answered hastily. She nodded, and then he was following her. They passed the gym- and started ascending the stairway that led to their rooms down the hall. She opened her door slowly, shooting a conspiratorial glance down the hall. Then she beckoned him inside. He followed. A moment later, the other door- the one to her closet- opened. Something large and wooden stepped out of it; a tree-man. Diego's eyebrows shot up. 

"What the fuck is that thing?" he shouted; surprisingly, there was barely a hint of stutter in his voice. Penny smiled nervously. 

"This is Gaia. I don't really know what he is," she admitted. "he's bound to me, though. I've been training with him." 

"Does anyone know about this?" he hissed. She blinked, and shook her head hurriedly. 

"No one!" she squeaked. "No one except Klaus. But he won't tell, I swear-" she hurried out, and Diego frowned. 

"How do you know he won't tell? How do you know _I _won't? Penny, if dad finds out about this, you're never getting out. He'll keep you here with us, you can't- we have to hide it!" he rambled. She blinked, and then gazed out the window at the courtyard. A frown graced her lips. 

"He's not going to just _let me go,_ you know," she sighed finally. "I know you think I can just- you think I can just get up and leave. Right?" she asked. Slowly, Diego nodded. 

"He doesn't have power over you," Diego argued. "You've got somewhere else to go. You don't need to stay here, so why are you?" he finally asked. The question- no, not a question, he corrected himself. It was an accusation, no matter how he posed it. _You're choosing to be somewhere that no one else wants to be. You're making this seem nice. _

"Diego," she started slowly. "What... what makes you think I have anywhere else to go?"

  
*******

She stared at him; they stood across from each other, shoes off, the gym mat weighted under their feet. He held no weapons, and she had promised not to use her power either. 

They hadn't spoken a word after those rules had been set; they hadn't spoken as they'd crossed back down the stairs either. _What makes you think I have anywhere else to go? _The question drifted through Diego's mind absently. Why wouldn't she? If not by choice, then... how did she get here? 

Finally, she lunged. She rolled over the mat and towards Diego's feet, aiming to sweep his legs out from under him. He jumped upwards to avoid her, but wasn't ready to block her next strike as he turned around. He barely missed a punch straight to the jaw as he did; instead, it caught his shoulder. He swept his right leg up to the left- and over, then back down. A clean hammer kick. She parried with her right hand, pushing his leg off to the side, and the match continued. 

"Where did you come from?" Diego finally spat. He was sweating; they'd been sparring for roughly ten minutes, neither having gained a clear advantage over the other. The question caught Penny off-guard, and Diego grabbed her fallen wrist, kicking out his right foot and bringing it back in on the back of her ankle; she stumbled, but managed to resist falling all the way back, ruining Diego's desired affect. She twisted the arm he was holding, forced him to let go, and brought her knee straight into his chest. He blocked with his elbow, but the moment of open stance had allowed Penny to twist him around into a headlock. 

"That's none of your business," she growled. Diego struggled to free himself, but he couldn't remember the maneuver.   
"Fine then," he replied sarcastically. "Tell me how you got here." He twisted himself free, and rolled out of the way of another kick, bringing himself back to the other end of the mat.

"I _got here," _she growled, "when _your _father tracked me down and sent a man to get me!" she shouted. Punch. 

"Get you? What, a nice driver man came and said come with me? Why won't you just-" Parry. (Breathe_.) _"-LEAVE?"

"Why don't you-" Kick. Block. Hook. "-just _mind your own business?_" 

"BECAUSE-" Grab. Sweep. Restrain. "Because he'll bring me BACK." 

(Breathe. Breathe. Breathe.) 

"And what- what makes you think he wouldn't bring _me _back, too?" she panted. Diego stared down at her; he had one knee pushed up against her stomach, her wrists pinned by his hands to the floor. She couldn't get out now. 

Talk. 

"He hasn't been controlling you so far," Diego muttered reluctantly. "And it's not only Luther who finds that strange." 

"He hasn't been _ordering _me. Not like he orders you. But you and I both know that he's in full control." 

"How? You speak when you want. You wear what you want. You go-"

"Where Reginald wants me. I wear what he _permits. _I speak when I'm allowed. Do you honestly believe that if I tried to talk during training, while he was talking- that I wouldn't be punished severely?"

The silence that followed seemed to stretch. (Breathe. Wait.) 

"I can't tell you where I came from," she finally whispered. "not without... I can't live it again. I already- I had to tell Five. And Vanya knows. And... I can't." She squeezed her eyes shut. "I shouldn't even be here, I shouldn't have... and I'm so used to it now, Jesus, I can't even think-" 

Diego froze. What... why was she so afraid? As her eyes blinked open again, tears rolled down her face. "_She was right, too. I thought she was controlling but she was right. He came for me." _


	7. SIX

There was something different about the air at breakfast the next morning. No one spoke- not even Penny. The only noise was the clinking of silverware, the shifting of shoes on the floor. 

There was silence as the group of children shuffled outside to the courtyard, and there was silence as they began to spar. Of course, people were talking by then. Allison talked quietly to Luther, and Five murmured to Ben as they began to spar in pairs. But it was a heavy silence- the kind with no recognizable beginning or end, that hangs over the whole world like a blanket, awkward and impeding, muffling the senses of everyone stuck underneath it. 

"Penny?" she turned at the sound of her name, coming face to face with Klaus. She forced a weak smile. 

"Right. I'm ready, sorry," she murmured. He shook his head, but backed away, and readied to fight. He avoided her eyes. They began to spar. For the most part, they lunged, dodged- Klaus was a scrappy fighter, and it made up for any strength he lacked with his powers. Penny- as far as anyone else knew- was the opposite, a weaker fighter than all the rest, her powers compensating. But oh, if they knew what I did, she thought, and blinked when she realized just exactly what she was thinking of. Her thought caused her to loose focus, and she stumbled at Klaus' next hit, falling onto her butt. He came forward, ready to pin her to the ground, and she sighed deflated, until-

"Get up, girl, and fight. You're better than that," the snarl had come from Reginald, standing a few feet away, staring at the pair as they fought. His voice broke through the blanket of silence that had been weighing Penny down all morning, and suddenly she was too aware of every noise, every crash, every grunt of pain from the rest of the children. She sprung up and away from Klaus in an instant, and he tripped over his feet trying to regain balance. She lunged forward during that moment, strong vines dashing behind her and grabbing him by the arms- and punched him in the gut. He coughed, squirming for a moment in his captured state, before slumping in defeat. 

"Good, Penny." Reginald spoke, and Penny jumped, turning to face him as he stood directly behind her. "You are improving quickly." he added, and turned to walk away. She smiled, turning around the tease Klaus, and quickly releasing her vine's hold with a cry of surprise. Klaus fell to the ground, his wrists and forearms blue from the tight hold of the vines. Penny's eyes widened, and he looked to meet her gaze for only a moment before turning away. 

That's the second time you've hurt him, her mind supplied. The second time you lost control. 

***

Penny climbed up the stairs to her room, Gaia a step behind. She moved quickly and silently, glancing back down the stairs behind her every few moments. She'd been training in the gym with Gaia, but it was becoming harder and harder to do so without being caught. She was just relieved to be back to the hall of their rooms, Gaia stumbling up the stairs behind her. She turned to check behind her again, then felt her foot hit the top step- and then felt herself run into someone's chest.

"And what might this be, Penny?" she turned slowly back around, looking fearfully up at the smiling face of Reginald Hargreeves. 

"Th- this is nothing!" she said quickly. "I just made him to trian with, that's all," she added. Reginald, unsatisfied, tugged Gaia forward by the hand. He spun the creature around, examining its arms and head, until he had come to a conclusion. 

"Tomorrow you will have private training in the courtyard. I will send everyone else to spar in the gym," he told her, and began to walk down the stairs, stopping only for a moment to turn around and say, "bring this... thing with you." 

***

Five stopped at Penny's room before bed to say goodnight, teleporting into the middle of the floor. Penny shrieked, jumping backwards on her bed, and Five snickered before he realized she'd been crying. 

"Penny, what's wrong?" he asked quickly, and she shook her head. 

"Reginald saw me and Gaia," she whispered. "He's going to make me do such horrible things, Five, you know he will- I created something alive, and he's going to pull me to my last straw to use that power," her eyes were wide, and Five blinked. For once, he had no reassurance he could give to Penny, because he knew she was right. There was nowhere for her to go outside of here- and even if there was, she would never be safe from the power-hungry thing that was Sir Reginald. 

"Penny..." he sighed. "I didn't want you to get dragged down with us," he finally mumured, and he hugged her. They stayed there for a while, before five got up again and dissapeared. Penny curled herself into a ball, and fell fitfully asleep.


	8. SEVEN

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so it begins! We begin to shift from imbalances of power, the developmental issues of children treated like tools, and the general issues of the hargreeves household. Our focus turns now to the psychological horror of having zero free will.
> 
> Notes at the end bc they have spoilers <3

**Content warnings: This chapter contains mentions of abuse, alcoholism, abandonment, **   
  
_The power to create life. _

A hand, old and knarled, moves across a paper, quill dragging with it and leaving scratches of ink across the paper. The hand is oddly steady for someone so old, and it's writing pattern is swift and sure, unwavering. The ink spreads like a virus through the air over the page, line after line spanning second after second. 

_This power is one that even I can barely grasp, and it is something I have nearly managed in my time. I have created creatures the world never dreamed of. But I myself have never truly created something entirely new. What kind of power does such an act require? As far as I knew, this was a power cyphoned only by one being. Now I fear I may have been wrong in this assumption. I plan to contain the newfound power and control its user as quickly as possible, save chaos reign from her fingertips. Pogo, although he may hide his disagreement, believes she is only a child. But children do not weild world-dominating power; this is something that should be clear to anyone. _

_These 8 are no children. They are time-bombs, waiting to blow. _

* * *

A girl stands alone in the courtyard of a mansion. This place is her home now, although she once lived somewhere very different. So small. So farmiliar.

Now she lives within the steady sprawl of empty hallways provided by the Hargreeves name. Her meals are healthy and expensive. Her room is finely decorated. Her caretaker, a robot named Grace, is sweet and matronly, and has superhuman strength. She has strange dreams of a girl called God and strange feelings of terror and despair. 

Those feelings have been with her all of her life, of course. Weekends when her parents went away, and all she had was an iron-clad window and 6 pre-prepared meals in a minifridge tucked in the corner of her room. Days when her father was drunk and she pretended to sleep when the ladder creaked and dropped below. Days when longing washed over her and the plants on her windowsill shriveled and wept. 

She closes her eyes, taking a shaky breath in to calm herself. The image of her father, bleeding, flowers blossoming from behind his eyes overtakes her senses, and she feels a tear slip down her cheek. 

_I could kill him too, _she whispers to herself. _I could kill him and free myself. I could free the others. _

It has been three weeks since Reginald Hargreeves discovered Penny's power to create life, and today, standing alone in the courtyard, has been the first time since that Penny had no training to do._ Sleep. Breakfast. Spar. Testing. Dinner. Sleep. _The fresh air is soothing on her skin, but it makes her shiver. 

_You can make a cloak of moss,_ her brain supplies, _and then you won't be cold. _

Her frown deepens. Even her mind works differently now; drilled again and again to think of a creative solution to every problem, to utilize her specail gift in every way possible. She doesn't feel human anymore. She feels like a machine. 

"Penny?" the voice that calls her is soft, shy. She turns to face the entrance to the courtyard, and finds Ben standing in it's arch. 

"Ben," she greets, and finds her voice to be just as quiet as his. "What do you need?" 

"Nothing," he responds, his voice unsure. "I wanted to know where you went. Are you alright?" The question is almost casual, but the undertones are swollen and bruised. He already knows the answer. Penny smiles softly, a dark chuckle escaping her lips.

"Ben," she sighs. "Not now." He nods, and after a moment, she walks towards him. He turns on his heel as she gets to where he stands, and they walk slowly back into the building. It's cold outside.

* * *

Penny sat on her windowseat, strumming softly at her harp. Ben sat on the edge of her bed, facing her, not looking up from his knees. He had come up with her, and come inside, but she still had no clue what else he wanted. In the corner, crumpled in a ragged pile, were the torn and splintered remains of Gaia. 

_"Create another. Test their strength." _Her eyes burned. She looked away from the broken doll that had once been a living creature, brought here by her own hand.

"Penny," Ben finally spoke, and she looked up at him. "How... how do your powers work?" he finally asked, and her fingers paused their strumming. Once, that question had driven her mad, sent her into week-long spirals of questions and frustration. The easiest answer to give, at one time, would have been that she controlled plants.   
It wasn't that simple. Not anymore. Now, there were a thousand answers. Weeks of testing her brain's activity and experimenting with her abilities hadn't even been able to lead Reginald Hargreeves to a conclusion, but sickly dreams had given Penny everything she needed to know. A girl, far away, in a place that Penny could not reach on her own, sat watching. She knew what Penny was because she had created her and her power. 

"I can't tell you," she finally breathed, and Ben's eyebrows knit together in confusion. Before he could question Penny further, a tear leaked down her chin. "If he ever found out, it would never be okay again, you hear me?" she told him, frustration and anger creeping into her tone.

Ben nodded. He left, returning to his room. A moment later, sweet tones of harp drifted through his open window. 

* * *

_Her finger paused over the strings. She glanced down, and sighed as she noticed the swirling irregularity of her hands and their placement. Another dream. _

_"You can't keep pulling me back here," Penny whispered. "Someone will notice." _

_"I can do as I please," the girl responded shortly, and Penny rubbed her eyes tiredly. This was God, of course, or whatever else you'd like to call her. This girl had made Penny what she was, and then she had decided to tell her about it. Not just plants. Nothing could ever be simple. _

_"How are your powers?" the girl asked, and Penny sneered. _

_"You already know." _

_"Of course I do, Penelope, but a bit of pleasantry wouldn't hurt you." The girl frowned, and handed her creation a cup of warm hot chocolate which had not been there a moment before. Penny sighed, but took it. "You know, of course, you cannot run from the fate I have set for you," she continued, and Penny nodded slightly. _

_"Right. The next god, or whatever. Why do you even need a replacement, anyways? Are you dying?" she asked, and the girl smiled sweetly at her, reaching out to brush a strand of hair from her face. _

_"No, sweet girl. I cannot die."_

_"Then why?" Penny whispered, and the girl shook her head, smiling widely. _

_"I am lonely. Infinite creations, and yet I stay here alone. It would be nice, to bring something new here too." _

_"And why me, then? You could choose anybody. I am far from best." Penny pressed, and shifted her gaze upward. The sky was bright and everlasting here. She felt she could look into it and burn. _

_"There is no question of why it was you, Penny. Countless humans roam the earth, descended from each other, from my original batch. They create themselves- but you were made for me, and only me," the girl sighs, and Penny finally drops her gaze from the empty light above, losing the inner battle to let her eyes erupt with the glory of it. _

_"So I'm just your plaything, then," she whispers. Her voice shakes more than she expected it to. Her whole life has been spent as a doll- a doll to her parents to keep in their dollhouse. And then she had become something different, tasted the air a different way, just for a moment, for a week or two. She'd been alone, just herself, and no one to tell her what to do or who to be, and then that had been ripped away from her too. In it's place had come a greater, grander dollhouse, with new rules and new struggles. Her newfound freedom had been stolen from right under her nose- she wondered now if she was ever really free, even in those days she had run. _

_"Not a plaything, Penny," the girl sighed, frowning sympathetically. "My protege." _

_Penny nodded dumbly. She swallowed her argument. Another few moments of silence passed, and then the girl shifted next to her, standing and walking off. _

She woke up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this story was meant from the start to be about power and how it affected the siblings growing up. Along the way, my mind got ahead of me, and it became something else! This story is starting to focus more on Penny alone and psycological horror that comes with the process of becoming omnipotent. Stay tuned lmao <3


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